...four hours go by quickly when you're having fun. It's a class act all the way.
Derek Jacobi plays the duplicitous Claudius, murderer and usurper of the throne, and Jacobi is brilliant as the antagonist, making his character all the more evil for his quietly underplaying the part ("...smile, and smile, and be a villain"). Julie Christie is Hamlet's still-beautiful and loving mother, the unknowing Queen Gertrude. We pity her ignorance of the goings on at court.
Michael Maloney, perhaps best known as a television actor, plays Laertes, Polonius's son, although in Zeffirelli's "Hamlet," he played Rosencrantz. He makes a good hothead. Kate Winslet plays Ophelia, Polonius's daughter and Hamlet's one great love. Winslet is good at portraying Ophelia's conflicting passions, but she's at her best in the mad scenes. Be that as it may, it is Richard Briers as Polonius who steals the show. British audiences, especially, will recognize Briers from hit TV shows like "The Good Life," and here he manages to make old Polonius more clever than foolish. He is a joy to watch.
Rufus Sewell plays Fortinbras, a strong actor for a strong, warlike character. Brian Blessed conveys a commanding presence for the ghost of Hamlet's father. Timothy Spall is always a delight, here playing Rosencrantz. Gerard Depardieu, who barely makes an appearance as Reynaldo, Polonius's servant, is, nonetheless, formidable, and then we hear from him no more.
Be that as it may, Depardieu's cameo is at least a speaking part. Several other well-known actors get only face time. We see but do not hear from John Mills, Judi Dench, and the great John Gielgud. The latter two are parts of the play within a play, wherein Hamlet hopes "to catch the conscience of the king." Charlton Heston portrays the leader of the acting troupe, and he is appropriately hammy in the role.
As one of the grave diggers, we find Billy Crystal. He is pleasantly casual although a touch less than natural in his delivery. Robin Williams is Robin Williams as Orsic, another courtier. And Richard Attenborough has a few final words as the English ambassador.
Branagh's camera whirls around far too much, sometimes making one dizzy, but otherwise he manages to keep the action moving forward at a brisk pace. As I've said, the four hours go by quickly when you're having fun. Finally, Patrick Doyle's grand and eloquent musical score provides the proper continuity to tie everything together, with a closing number, "In Pace," sung by Placido Domingo. It's a class act all the way.
"The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right!"
Video:
Branagh originally shot the film in Panavision Super 70 (65mm format processing) and showed it theatrically at 2.20:1 in 70mm and 2.35:1 in 35mm prints. Warner Bros. present the film in its 2.20:1 ratio, and the results in anamorphic widescreen are pleasing. Colors are strong, rich, and natural. The screen is clean and clear and brightly lit when need be. The sublime sets and costumes show up well. If there is any shortcoming, it is that the delineation and detailing are very slightly soft, perhaps the result of an average bit rate, the whole image crying out for high definition.
Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 reproduction displays some strong dynamics when necessary; the midrange is smooth and well balanced; and the front-channel stereo spread is wide. However, there is not a lot of rear-channel activity beyond the expected musical ambiance reinforcement and a few crowd noises. OK, the ghost's voice uses the surrounds to give it a more ethereal quality, but that's about it. I'm not complaining, mind you; simply reporting.
Extras:
In this Two-Disc Special Edition, the first disc contains part one of the movie, with scenes 1-42. In addition, there is an eight-minute introduction by Kenneth Branagh and an audio commentary by Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson, both of whom provide words of interest for the Shakespeare buff as well as the average viewer. English is the only spoken language Warners provide, but there are English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
The second disc contains part two of the movie, with scenes 43-61 and a continuation of the audio commentary. In addition, since part two is shorter than part one and there is some extra room, we also get a twenty-four-minute featurette, "To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet," with comments from the actors in the film; a twelve-minute Cannes Film Festival promo for the film; and trailers for seven other Shakespeare movies.
Parting Thoughts:
Brevity may be "the soul of wit," but this one is pretty long. Nevertheless, Kenneth Branagh's vision of "Hamlet" passes the time quickly and enjoyably, thanks to the fine performances, the splendid visuals, and, of course, the masterful words of Master Shakespeare himself. Branagh combines one of Bard's best plays with some of the best filmmaking the medium has to offer, making his production easily able to stand beside any Shakespeare of any kind committed to film. Plus, on DVD one has the advantage over movie audiences of being able to take a break any time one chooses. Can't beat that.
"Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!"
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[release]21886[/release]